Dr Who A flame relit
by Fergal D Gerbil
Summary: Dr. Who meets a strange man who shares not only information on his own past but perhaps the ability to save one thought lost forever. This was a rush job which I will revisit sometime later. Please pardon the errors made in haste.


Chapter 1

"OK beauty, just you and me and the whole of the Universe and time itself at our disposal. Take me somewhere interesting and fun. Take me to the court of, no, not them. Henry the Eight still has a thing about my joking with his wife, not sure I even recall which one it was offhand. What about, no, Louis has an issue about my warning him to cut down on cake makers in Paris. We could go to, does Elizabeth still have a warrant out for my arrest on sight?. Take me somewhere interesting and challenging"

The Dr. sat and pondered, he walked and wandered and finally he poked, prodded and positioned the knows, dials and levers in such a way as to make him happy, and then immediately rearranged them all once again randomly and pushed the activation lever to the stops.

The TARDIS roiled and rocked, bounced and buffeted and even took a turn 90 degrees from reality which made the Dr. think of Cricket but that will be explained later. The Dr. ran and laughed as he circled the central console. The TARDIS screeched and sang out the song of spacial/temporal distortion and displacement as she made the impossible a daily feat and activity. Seconds passed as he waltzed around the main compartment and laughed wildly, millennium passed outside both backwards and forwards as the TARDIS moved without displacing itself a millimeter.

She bore him onward, a life within a life but more than a Mother/Child relationship between them. Her nurturing nature combining with her protection protocols and integrating with her self awareness subroutines were all overwritten by a simple line of code entered by a previous incarnation of the present Dr. A code known by every Dr, since then but never removed from the central server bank and one which the TARDIS herself never felt the need to delete. The code was simple. {If command = go/take/visit+interesting then command=transport rnd(random)and+go=execute}

Her central bank of computing networks spun faster than Quasars and stronger than event horizons of the largest and most hungry black holes. She computed, faster than any being with a brain the size of a planet but that will be explained later, and arrived at the most interesting point in time that she could envision in her vast and amazing databanks of known and unknown events and possibilities. When all her number crunching and calculations had completed she decided upon a date, time and place and promptly arrived at the most interesting moment in human history. 3 PM. Thursday November 11 2010 in Suffolk.

The Dr. emerged from the TARDIS and spun around happily, he then saw where he was and ducked back inside quickly. Moments later he re-emerged and looked skyward. "I don't get it, this is Suffolk, it;s a Thursday just after lunchtime. Nothing exciting or interesting ever happens in Suffolk just after lunchtime on a Thursday, it is a universal fact that nothing interesting or exciting ever happens until after 4 PM local time and nothing like that has ever happened in Suffolk. I think you and I are going to have to have a little talk about what is considered as being actually interesting Beauty." He said as he wandered and scoped out the surrounding landscape in which he now found himself.

He straightened his bow tie and withdrew his sonic screwdriver from an inside pocket. He scanned the skies, the ground, the inner and outer of all things as well as the known and unknown but nothing was wrong, nothing was out of balance and nothing was indicating danger, trouble or even so much as an upset tummy. The Dr. folded his sonic screwdriver and sat upon the low wall but soon gave up sitting on the jagged rocks and favored walking slowly instead. He looked left and right but saw no traffic, he strained his eyes to search the skies but no attack ships were visible to either his eyes of other devices of detection upon himself or without the TARDIS which remained telepathically linked to him at every moment. He took soil samples and investigated the very fabric which made up this pocket of the universe in which he now found himself. He could find nothing of interest in anything he could investigate and so he returned to the TARDIS and sat quietly while he pondered his situation and why she would have brought him to this place at this time but not given him and indication as to why she felt this was in any way of any interest at all.

He reclined in the comfy couch as he stared at the ceiling quietly, he had millions of thoughts, memories and ideas pass through his mind in moments but none of them could determine what of interest could possibly happen at 4 PM on a Thursday in Suffolk. Worlds twirled and twisted in his thoughts, histories long since consigned to history unknown and not yet to happen flashed through his brain yet he could not determine why he should be at this point in time nor why the TARDIS would deliver him here without explanation nor sense of meaning. The Dr. was about to rise and get a very strong cup of tea in order to get his Brownian Motion cognitive dissonance integration data gathering device into optimum operative profile when a fresh cuppa was handed to him complete with a small milk carafe and sugar cubes. He was so caught up in the perplexity and conundrum of the moment that it took a moment for that fact to sink in.

Chapter 2

He sat with his mind devouring data from thousands of streams of consciousness, he felt as if his brain was the size of a planet and that meant something which would be explained later but he could not devote time nor energy to such explanations at this present moment. The cup of tea was remarkable in that it tasted exactly like a well brewed English Breakfast would be expected to taste like even though the TARDIS knew he preferred Darjeeling. He was about to complain to the TARDIS about the change in tea offerings when a part of his planet sized brain recalled two important thing. Planet sized brains were done before and someone had handed him his teacup and saucer with milk and sugar.

"I say, would it be possible to get some" And the Jammie Dodgers were on a small silver tray beside him in an instant without him having to finish his sentence or see who had delivered them. He could hear the slightest sounds behind him but none of them seemed threatening and the TARDIS had given no signs of distress which meant that he was safe, or that the new occupant had managed to override every safety device and warning method on board which meant this was the most dangerous opponent he had or ever could face.

"You wouldn't happen to have any cream per chance." The Dr. asked to the empty air about him while still attempting to determine the location of the cohabitant who apparently registered as no more a threat than a fleck of pollen on the TARDIS threat display.

"You don't like cream with Darjeeling tea." A voice called back from some place to the rear of the couch.

"Ah yes, I forgot about that, I do prefer cream with Earl Grey but only when it is above 30 degrees outside or 70% humidity. I must do better to recall that in future." The Dr. replied to empty air.

"No need, she remembers everything for you, every life, thought, decision and concern is in her memory banks to retain your full essence and knowledge should it ever be needed by you." The voice seemed to be coming from directly beneath the couch this time but the Dr. could sense presence in the lower sections of the TARDIS where the controls cabling and access to the central core were located.

"I find it difficult at times to determine which memories are mine and which are held by her you know." The Dr. replied as he sipped his cup of tea. "I suppose it is difficult at times to determine where I end and she begins but we seem to work it out in the end, mostly." He added as he sat up and began to scan his surroundings calmly. He stood and carried his cup to the central console where a priceless porcelain tea set sat calmly, he placed his cup upon the antique solid silver Queen Victoria serving tray and spun effortlessly about. He saw nobody so he spun about once more less effortlessly but more determinedly. His effortless efforts were rewarded at last and finally he saw the other occupant. He stood casually against the railing sipping from a tin cup and holding a digestive biscuit in his hand.

"I hope the tea is to your liking, she has a spectacular ability to scan your taste buds and generate the perfect food and drink to accommodate your requirements." He announced proudly.

"Doesn't the Heart of Gold do the same thing?" The stranger asked.

"Yes." The Dr. replied. But the TARDIS actually gets it right first time without risking the life of everyone on board." He stared momentarily confused and distracted but quickly recovered. "Allow me to introduce myself, they call me"

"The Doctor, or Doctor Who, or the Killer, or Eradicator or Death Bringer or many thousands of other names depending on where and even when you happen to be." The stranger replied absently. "That is odd, a moment ago I had no idea about any of that and now I know everything about your names, even your real name but there is no need for me to say such aloud here as we are the only ones and you already know your own name, she did not tell me but she would never betray you.

"Might I be so bold as to ask how you gained access to this place and have learned so much about me in such a short space of time?" The Dr. inquired as he walked slowly around the console and switched switches, toggled toggles and adjusted adjustable components in a seemingly random manner.

The stranger took 5 paces to his left and smiled. "You can ask me any and all questions. I can tell you why the answers will be 42, why Dalek ships have chairs even though they operate on wheels, why they can detect molecules at 1,000 foot but not a far at 5 paces but those things will be explained later."

"Ah, yes." Replied the Dr. as he adjusted his already impeccably adjusted bow tie. "I just noticed that you were able to simply walk in here without setting off a myriad of alarms and warning systems and seemingly operate certain systems such as the tea maker without any training or previous knowledge of the TARDIS. She seems to like you but not know you, that in itself is almost unheard of but you show up as a mere human on all scans and systems designed to determine origin and components of all manner of matter in and around the TARDIS. Can I ask who you are please?"

"You can indeed ask and are free to and five minutes ago I could have actually replied and given you the correct answer but at this time I cannot recall who I was before I walked in those doors of yours and I can recall less and less of the life lived before today in general. I have no clue as to where I came from, who my family were or what I did for a living."

"Could I impose upon you to share what you can recall before even that much is lost to you?" The Dr. inquired gently.

"At this moment I can only remember quitting my job a week ago, buying a rucksack and packing it with things I had no clue about and then setting out on the road from London to here on foot. I had many doubts but every time I attempted to turn back I ran into someone, there was a Rory one day, an Amy the next, a Rose and Donna came at me at the same time and even a River who I saw an hour before I ended up here. Each of them said the very same thing, if there is to be a future then I have to fade from the past and be lost to the present. I still have no idea what they meant but here I am and I really like how you have decorated the place, very homely but I would to see more energy efficient lighting if possible." The stranger walked as he spoke, he touched nothing but had the look of someone who knew what could be and should not be fiddled with.

The Dr. raised his hand to adjust his bow tie once more, thought better of it and stood up instead. He wandered casually over to the control console and tapped a few buttons, twirled a couple of knobs, alter a number of levers and even pushed a few sliders around. "She is rather particular you know, she does not usually like strangers entering in here and wandering around making tea and settling in and such. You see, there are these protocols and security devices which protect her from harm and danger and you seem to have been able to overcome them all, even some of my old companions were not allowed in here without me because she had issues with them."

"Perhaps I am of no threat which is why she allowed me in here."

"Yes." The Dr. spun slowly to face the strange man. "That must be it, you are of no danger to her, is that it?"

"I have no clue at all. I can remember nothing of the life I lived before walking through those doors but somehow I am learning more about everything else every second I am here, feels like an upload of some sort. I could be the biggest threat she has ever faced and we have no idea about it yet. I may be a virus infecting her data banks or siphoning everything she knows for someone else who will use it for ulterior motives. Well, it appears as if the upload is complete and we are where I need to be. It has been a pleasure Dr but I must leave now." The stranger waved and the TARDIS doors opened to reveal a black hole seemingly inches from the opening.

Chapter 3

The Dr. ran to the doors and ran his sonic screwdriver in several directions, read readings and scanned again on different settings. "We can't be here, I did not activate the transport protocol, I actually locked out the transport protocol so that you couldn't possibly do anything to make her move. I didn't even feel her move or hear her engines kick in, she could not have moved without my knowing it but we are at the initial black hole which began the Milky Way galaxy. I can almost reach out and touch it, we are in the most restricted point in space that there could be. Anything interfering with this could eradicate not only this galaxy but so many others, how did we get here and why?" He spun and faced the stranger who now stood mere inches away from him.

"I can't believe you still use the actual panel when your telepathic link can make the TARDIS travel anywhere without flipping a single switch or turning even one dial. She is the Host, you are her Charge but neither of you can work without the other. You are a symbiotic union which chose each other all those centuries ago and have grown more connected since. You can think of eating something and she will fill your stomach with it so that you never have to actually eat again, never be thirsty for longer than it takes to think of what you wish your gut to be filled with. I think it would be fair to say you use the console like a Charter or an old tradition or something."

"It would only be fair so say such if you gave credit to Robert Rankin who uses that line in many of his novels." The Dr. replied with calm confidence and utter confusion.

"In that case, with due deference to Robert Rankin who uses that line in many of his novels I believe you do many things as they have always been done as a Charter, or an old tradition or something." The man resumed moving towards the doors slowly but surely.

The Dr. stood before the open doors and called to the TARDIS. "Close doors and institute emergency return to last known safe zone. Lock down command acceptance protocols for 24 hours." Nothing happened. The emergency systems buttons, dials, knobs, switches and fiddly bits were too far away to reach and ever the sonic screwdriver would have trouble activating everything at once, he made a mental note to install an emergency override setting on the device and then made another mental note to check on mental notes he had not checked on over the past 50 years, there were many.

"Please move aside, we cannot hang here all day the way bricks don't."

"Nice Hitch Hikers reference by the way."

"Thank you but now I must be off."

"You don't smell like you're off at all, a little ripe perhaps but not that bad."

The man chuckled slightly. "I did not see that one coming and apparently I can see everything coming and going and not. Do you have a cigarette?"

"No, do you?"

"No. I suppose we best smoke our own then."

This time the Dr. chuckled slightly. "I always enjoyed the antics of those 2 Rankin characters."

"I know you are fully aware of this but I am going to say it aloud in case anyone else is listening, or perhaps reading our words in some odd manner for some unknown reason. This is one of the most essential fixed points in time and even though we are in a Time And Relative Dimension In Space machine I know you know, and suddenly in the last 5 minutes I also know that I now know, that it is also locked out from intrusion by any others who would want to interfere with the formation of the Milky Way galaxy and prevent Humanity from ever existing. We are here and I have only a short amount of time to do whatever it is I am here to do. Nobody else will ever be able to come to this point in space or time and if I do not follow through with my instincts then I will have to come back tomorrow and that will be far too late."

"WHY?" The Dr. almost yelled. "Why do you have to be here, never mind HOW. Who are you, what is your plan and why do you want to kill yourself by leaping into a massive black hole?"

The stranger looked long and hard at the Dr. "You really do not know w ho I am? You have not figured it out yet? I must admit that I would never have made the connection if I had not managed to have my mind rewired to be the size of a planet and read everything ever written in every language in the first millisecond of life, I always Loved poor Marvin, and then had everything never written also uploaded." The man turned and looked at the central console for several seconds. "I see" he said to the empty air. "I think it is time that was corrected and things were put as needed. Please release the data and allow access now Beauty, thank you."

The Dr. was about to ask how the man had managed to address the TARDIS directly when his mind was filled with a new history. "You cannot be, you are a myth, a fairytale." He sagged heavily as the weight of the new knowledge hit him like being smashed with a slice of lemon wrapped around a gold brick. 2 of those would set off a new regeneration.

"In many areas, you are also a myth, a fairytale but yet here you are and so am I." The stranger helped the Dr. to the Couch by the Console in the TARDIS near the black hole. That's enough of that for now I hope.

"I did not know that the TARDIS was under instruction to lock away any reference to me, seeing as how I am only now finding out about me also I will not hold that against you. Your previous leaders had commanded all TARDIS units to erase or scrub all information regarding me but yours was smarter than the others and put all data about me in a soggy jam sandwich which has remained uneaten since her first flight, not surprisingly at all really I mean who ever wants to actually eat those things?"

The Dr. composed himself quickly but did not like the opus so he composed himself again to a much better tune. "We Gallifreyans were told stories to scare us and keep us entertained. We were told of you but nobody ever believed that you could have existed. Even the memories are so far back that they are clouded by time and distance but how can you be real and why here and now?"

The stranger sat down slowly and made himself comfortable. "This may take a moment. Just like all great fairy tales, there has to be a certain amount of truth in them for them to survive long enough for them to really be remembered and passed down. The tale seems to have changed a lot over the history but that is expected. The last version had someone sacrifice himself so that he could bring knowledge and unity to all Gallifreyans and he would know their hearts and thoughts through all time. There is more to this than you may want to know but you will have to learn it now and remember it for all time or else we will never have existed."

Chapter 4

The stranger adjusted himself and began. "I was hidden away a very long time ago, many lives passed with my protection being assured by hiding my true self in a pocket watch, you of course know this as both The Master and yourself have done the same thing in the past, or future. The watch was apparently buried somewhere safe from others who would recognize and open it. Apparently I found it last week and understood that I was not who I thought I was but I had no idea of who I really was, not until I walked in here and my true life began trickling into my brain. Somehow I knew I had to be in Suffolk at 4 PM on Thursday or all existence would be threatened. She saw me coming and opened the doors for me before I even thought to enter. As soon as I walked in I began remembering things that will not be discovered for a Billion years yet, found answers to questions which will never be asked and knew the real names of all of our kind as well as the titles they use."

The man stood and walked to the console, placed his hands on the surface and closed his eyes as he felt the heart of the TARDIS ebb and flow.

"You already know that there are about 27*10 to the 27th power, or 7 with 27 Zero's after it, 700 Billion Billion Billion atoms in an average sized human body. I am a little heavier so I have a few more of course. Since the very start of Gallifrey there has been one of my atoms in every person born there whether capable of travel or not, whether a Time Lord or not. I have been in every humanoid life form there has ever been and even in many of the other species which roam our home world sharing my consciousness with each of you. I have witnessed what they have known, guided them when they were unsure and knew how each and every one of them would end and what the ultimate goal of their combined existence was to be. You have an atom of me inside you right now, your TARDIS also has one but she should have two, All TARDIS units had two so they could use one as an emergency regeneration for their Charge while retaining their own consciousness and ability to communicate but hers went to one named River Song who was conceived here in this very vessel. It appears as if River Song gave up her ability, and my atom, to you so that you could regenerate and return after she had killed you in a way you could not recover from even with my atom. A very tangled web woven indeed."

He strolled around the console as he continued, smiling and running his hand lovingly over the controls without interfering with any. "You have been a test of my plan and patience for some time Dr. I have almost had to cause the whole universe to restructure itself 3 times because of your actions but thankfully there were always companions who would step up when prodded the right way and do all they could to save you, and all of us. I can see by your face that you are beginning to understand why your TARDIS and yourself were always so drawn to saving Earth and why others wanted to destroy it so badly. No Earth means no me, no me means no us and no us means nobody to stand between them and the destruction of Earth."

The Dr. stood and leaned against the railing. "I always wondered why I spent so much time on one planet with so many others out there, do they know? Is that why they keep attacking here? Was someone able to determine you were here and wanted to destroy Earth to prevent us from being?"

"If only it were that simple you see. Many of those who would so willingly enslave or destroy Earth would also destroy themselves in the process. You have called yourself a monster many times, said you have created hatred, fear and evil. You know nothing of such and are no monster at all compared to the very worst of all monsters out there, me."

"Monster?" The Dr. almost yelled. "You have created the greatest race of people the universe has ever known. The protectors of all life and guardians of the deepest secrets, how could you possibly consider yourself a monster? The Time War was not your fault, we were attacked and we had no option but to retaliate and protect ourselves. The losses were unbearable but it had to be done or we would have lost the whole of the universe and all life in it. Without us, the people you are responsible for creating, there would have been nobody to stand between the Daleks and complete annihilation of life everywhere. You have saved all life which we have ever defended."

"I have endangered the universe more times than you can ever know or believe. I have seen the minds of pure evil and felt the chill of utter hatred closer than I feel my own skin on my body at this moment." He sat down and appeared to age a century as the weight of new knowledge came upon him. "They really have erased everything of the very earliest days, long before rules and standards were put in place. How much do you know of the earliest TARDIS models? How far back does your memory and knowledge go?"

"I knew there were some some errors and mistakes in the first batches, some people were lost and have never been found since, they are thought to exist still in the void or in the Schism itself and shall return to us once the Vortex closes up at the end of our planets life. They were sucked in too close to the black hole at the center of the planet and could not escape but were far enough away that they were able to survive, we cannot enter into the rift and pull them out until the black hole collapses in on itself and they will then be able to enter the time stream once again and continue back to us."

"You have been lied to, the very first models were all male based. They thought it was best to have something strong enough to survive anything and have a military training so it would be better able to defend itself and its charge against anything. They had a problem with the Host and Charge battling each other for control. There were cases where the Host murdered its Charge and disposed of the remains in transit so that they could not regenerate again and they were lost forever. Some Charges destroyed their Hosts and it almost ended the whole program before we had enough successes to warrant continuing. We then went with more female based personalities which were more capable of defending and protecting their Charges as well as able to assert themselves without having to kill anyone. Success finally came and improvements were made but some of the earliest units were still operating, their Charges and they had formed an unhealthy attachment to each other and they went renegade. Some TARDIS units simply left on their own and others waited for their Charges to get back to them before leaving."

"How many were there and why were they not tracked down and brought back? They are too dangerous a weapon to have them running around without a location. What was done to find and neutralize them?"

"Everything, they sent out search parties and most were destroyed. Some Charges were brought back alive, many others chose to self destruct and die with their Hosts so strong was their connection. One was pulled from his Host as it destroyed itself, he was The Masters father and the shock of that loss passed to his child and affected him so badly that he has tried to destroy us all for what we did to his father. His mind holds the memory of losing something closer to him than life itself and he will never rest until he has recombined with a TARDIS unit and become what his father sought to be."

"Those who combined with their TARDIS unit, what happened to them?"

"You already know the answer to that question Dr. Those who merged Gallifreyan and TARDIS became our greatest enemies, they were the original Daleks and they have sought to destroy us ever since the day when we attempted to prevent them from becoming a new life form. Children will always challenge their parents and the Daleks are not happy simply to challenge us but want to eradicate us completely so that they are the only ones who cam claim Gallifrey as their home. The Daleks of today are mere shadows of the originals, an attempt to replicate Gallifreyans but without an atom of mine within them. Stavros believes he was the first true Dalek but even he knows he was a creation of others who he can never hope to emulate or match in any way. If they ever knew who and where I was, they would have taken every one of my atoms and created the most destructive force ever imagined which is why I was hidden and sheltered until the one moment when I could enter this space and combine myself with the force which created this section of the universe and therefor created Gallifrey. The TARDIS units with my atoms which fled with Charges would eventually create the Cybermen. My very essence has created the enemy we are fighting."

Chapter 5

The two men sat in silence as the gravity of the situation began to sink in fully. The Dr. understanding why he always felt reluctant to destroy Daleks, Cybermen or any other enemies unless presented with no other option but also feeling betrayed that such knowledge had ever been kept from him and his people. Perhaps they could have found peace with their enemies if they had known they were actually related but all that was far too late to contemplate now. The stranger sat sadly as more and more memories came to the fore of his thoughts and he lived the evil and hatred of those who left and swore destruction to their own kind.

"I told you I was the monster, I created them all and I know every thought in their minds, every rational they used to excuse their actions and every order they issued to kill people or populations. I could have stopped them all you now, issued a cease command and eventually it would have made all sides leave the battlefield but that would have tipped them off that something within them has control over them and they would never have stopped until they found out about me, found me and used me to their ends. I had to stand back and watch Billions of my people, each with an atom of myself in them, perish and destroy others. I felt each pain they experienced and knew those Billions had to die or the whole universe would end up eradicated. Can you possibly imagine such pains and sorrow?"

The Dr. wanted to reach out but knew nothing he could possibly do would ever bring comfort to this man, to the tortured Spirit within which was tearing itself apart and would continue to tear itself atom by atom in order to create the greatest life forms known, and also the most terrible. So much about this story felt unbelievable but the Dr. knew there had to be some truth to it, something felt right but he could not allow this man to walk out the door into the black hole awaiting just beyond the threshold.

"A lot of what you say feels like it could be true, I have no way to know but the TARDIS seems to accept you and that counts for a great deal. I cannot allow you to leave here and enter that black hole though. You will be killed and will never be able to shed your atoms amongst us all even if I did believe that were true. We can still find places to hide you from enemies and shelter you from harm without you having to take this course of action. Let us find you a safe haven and people who can help you to become us without needing to do this. We have a chance to do this differently now, a better way where we can go back and seed the planet as it is formed and then capture the renegades before they escape and cause such damage to the universe. We can make it correct this time"

"You know far too well Dr. that the fixed points in time will never be altered to allow for such. Too many things have happened which I have cemented in the time stream and far too many more are yet to come. We cannot alter the flow of time and space around fixed points simply because we feel it is the right thin to do. There are reasons why they are there and shall ever remain there. Even the greatest minds have failed to comprehend the purpose and use of fixed points in time, even your mind has only grasped the barest concepts of such and you are the closest one yet."

"I know what they are, it was basic temporal dynamics in the university way back when. They are points in time which anchor events so that we have a frame of reference as to when all other events happen. Something like knowing the position of 3 stars can help you orientate and find all the others and know not only where but also when you are. They can be massive events or something as small as the loss of one man, as if the loss of any one person can ever be seen as a small thing to those they Love and who loved them."

The stranger smiled. "You always were one of the most insightful and caring of all the Time Lords, few would feel the loss of any number was of importance when compared to the universe as a whole. Every fixed point in time leads to another and yet another beyond that. Many believe them to be jumbled up in the fabric of time itself, enmeshed and random but they are exacting and steady in their positioning. We each of us pass them constantly, we weave a racetrack pattern through the fabric but normal lifeforms will never even know they have encountered one unless it is pointed out to them, we are unique in that we can adjust our trajectory and run our pattern more by choice than their gravity. Humans will pass one on the right and be pulled so they pass the next on the left and so on, they continue passing by them for their whole lives but we can leave the track at almost any angle to arrive at the next one or race through the spaces between them. This keeps everybody in the sphere of time, losing one fixed point can cause millions to be lost to the void beyond and never to be recovered again. At the center of this mesh, is me and you will be the only one who ever crosses my gravity well and you shall do it only this once."

"Just like atoms spinning around and never going anywhere?"

"Not quite, some will travel only between 2 points, we will see them as ghosts who are not able to move on but are still not in one place. The Weeping Angels are trapped around a single point in time which is where they send their victims back to and the Daleks have managed to move between a select number of fixed points even though they do not yet know how they can do it. You are the last one who can truly reach almost any point in time, fixed or not, and move on from there. The latticework of fixed points aid in navigation so you can arrive at one or at a point between 2 or more by determining their gravitational pull to ensure you are at the correct location and time. You need years of training to put a name to what the TARDIS does instinctively but you can be just as intuitive as she is, tune into the energy flows and surf the tidal forces to where you need to be. This, is where I need to be and I have only a few moments left before it is too late. I must be going now. Thank you for the tea and chat Dr. I will see you again one day, and all of your days."

"You cannot leave here, I forbid it. The TARDIS will never allow you endanger yourself by leaping into space like that." The Dr. stepped towards the doors but a force field held him fast. He was trapped on the wrong side and was helpless.

"I appreciate your concern, I truly do. I leave a gift to her, she gave up her second atom to River who gave it to you and I give her a new second atom to replenish such and thank her for all she has done not only for you but for all species in the universe. You also have done such great things for so many and never been thanked for such. I thank you for them and you shall be the only Gallifreyan to have more than one atom of the Prime Gallifreyan. I know you will repay the gift once given you" Two small orbs glided from his fingertips, one passed through the central control console into the heart of the TARDIS and the other struck the Dr. gently in his chest. The man walked forward and through the doors into nothingness.

Chapter 6

Nothing moved. The silence was complete and the chill had nothing to do with the vast black hole beyond the door. The Dr. turned from the still open doors and sat down heavily upon the couch, two tea cups sat side by side, both half drank, it seemed the perfect symbolism for the TARDIS and he, neither complete without the other. The TARDIS self protection circuit activated when the black hole graviton waves began to rise and grow stronger, she left the place of death and birth and headed back to Suffolk on a calm sunny Thursday at 6:00 PM.

The Dr. could feel the extra atom and its effects upon him. Added energy, confidence and insight but also a far deeper sense of loss than he could ever recall knowing before as he thought of what the stranger, The Prime Gallifreyan, had given up and how much darkness he held within him from others and yet still took the leap. He sat motionless as he absorbed the new and corrected history of his race and what their foolishness had done to the universe, he was now the last sentinel against those his people had created. He wondered if the TARDIS could be strong enough with 2 atoms to pull the trapped Time Lords from the rift and persuade them to become allies in protecting life or would explaining the new history create more danger for Earth and its people. He thought of the extra atom he now lived with as he stood and walked slowly to the control console.

"_I know you will repay the gift once given you_. That was exactly what he had said but how can I ever repay you the atom which saved me when you already have your two replenished. Besides, I didn't get it from you, I got it from." He froze and shook with fear and excitement as thousands of options and millions of calculations cascaded through his mind. "Beauty," He screamed at last. "Take me to The Library."

Not a single knob was turned, not a lever pushed nor pulled nor even a dial twisted but the TARDIS knew where to be and in an instant she appeared in the great lobby of The Library once more. The doors opened and The Dr. emerged with sonic screwdriver at the ready. Shadows were already crawling towards him as he spoke.

"You know who I am and I am aware of what you are." He stated loudly but without shouting. "I promised you no more intrusions and I meant to honor that fully but, something has come up and I request your gracious permission to remove one from this place, one you would not want to have been here in the first instance. I mean you no harm, I will retrieve some remains and belongings and leave never to return again. On that you have my word." The shadows halted and the menace was palpable from them but slowly they receded back to the walls once more to leave him in peace. He placed the sonic screwdriver in his pocket and ran for the large set of stairs. He leapt several steps at a time and bounded across the balcony to where the journal of River Song lay still and cold as when he left it so very long ago. He grasped it to his chest and hurried onwards to the storage area where he grasped a transport cart and ran with it to the one room in all the universe he never wished to see again, the place where the remains of his River Song lay encapsulated and protected in a spacesuit which now looked foolishly too large for her fragile bones. He tenderly lifted her onto the cart and set off along the corridors to the central access portals.

He quickly powered up a terminal with his sonic screwdriver and typed in access codes. Instants passed and at last the screen lit up and a familiar face glowed from the light of the screen but also with an inner light which was reserved for only he. "Hello Sweety." She said coyly, "I didn't think you would remember our anniversary and I don't see any flowers so obviously you have them set at a table somewhere fancy awaiting out arrival?"

"Even better." he giggled as he spoke. "I have a way to bring you back, a way to get you out of there and back here. I can do for you what you did for me all those years ago and give you back the power to regenerate and live fully once more." He plugged the modified sonic screwdriver into an outlet and prepared to download her essence to it. Her smile faded.

"Sweety, I have been here for some time now and the child and I have become close. I could not bear to think of leaving here here and to be honest, I am not sure I would want to live anywhere else without a child. You have had 1,000 years and many children, I have had none and being here I have felt like a Mother at last and it has left an impression on me. As much as I would want to be back there with you, I cannot leave her and not to be somewhere with no children to help raise. If there were a way to take her with us I would be there in a heartbeat but my heart beats only virtually now and only here. As much as I Love you and the fun I know we would have, there is something I would miss even more if I left here. I am sorry.

His smile had vanished and his eyes reddened slightly. "We don't have much time, I only have this one chance to access the memory core and retrieve you and that time is running out fast. River, please come back to me and the TARDIS, I have a daughter out there somewhere and we can search for her, find her and raise her together as a family if you want.

She smiled sadly as she replied. "Sweety, I want a child of our own and though I would Love any child of yours, even one created from a DNA sample, that would not come close to what I have made here and the little girl here still enjoys having others around to keep her company and laugh with. I cannot and will not abandon her and I know you will not ask me to."

"OK, I will. I will have a child with you if that is what you wish and given time I can figure out a way that you can still visit here or interact virtually through the computer station at her fathers home or something but time is running out and we need to act now. Please."

The child appeared on the screen beside River as if on command. She had aged in accordance with the amount of time she had been there so that she could experience life as a normal child would.

"Hello again Dr. I am happy to see you again and I understand that you want River to leave here and go with you. River, thank you for all that you have done but he is right, you can interact with me virtually through the proper interface and I am sure The Library will allow you to take one with you when you leave or my families company will build one for you. You have been with me some years now and I am grateful but I would always feel as if I had trapped you here if you remained when you have one final chance to escape. Bye River, give the silly man a hug and kiss from me please."

With that she vanished once more and instantly the lights began to illuminate on the personality capture device hidden in her old sonic screwdriver. When all lights were lit he grasped it and plugged it into the arm of her suit. He lifted up the visor and breathed out a long and steady breath. He could feel the extra atom leaving him and her remains began to glow warmly. Seconds passed and he was once more staring into the face of his River Song, her eyes fluttered open slowly. "Hello Sweety, how did you ever manage to pull this one off you silly man?"

He handed her the journal and she smiled gently, "Spoilers, I should have known." As he reached for her arm to help her up she began once more to glow, he knew the signs, she was regenerating and there was nothing he could do to halt it. They stared in silent anguish as she began to change. "Will I still have my fabulous hair Sweety? She said and said no more.

The light faded and he stared into the new regeneration of River Song. "This could be very interesting." he said.

End.


End file.
